Blue Latitude
by Artemis006
Summary: Diana is hurled into Mirkwood where she discovers that being an elleth is not what she imagined it to be. As she tries her best to adjust to the new lifestyle a certain king questions her reliability on the other hand, she finds him quite insufferable. Will she manage to convince the king with the help of her friends and will their mutual abhorrence finally meet an end?(Non-canon!)
1. Leap of faith

LEAP OF FAITH

It was an autumn Sunday evening when Diana decided to go for a walk. She was outraged by one of her friends and in order to calm herself she went out. She needed to because if she stayed in her apartment she would probably break something. She was listening to music while heading towards her favourite place for relaxation, which was a bench on a beach, she rolled a cigarette and lit it.  
 _"Just take a deep breath and feel the nicotine overwhelm your whole being!"_ she thought to herself. Finally she sat on the bench slowly absorbing the atmosphere around; the almost black sea scattered with a bit of pink and orange, the golden setting sun rushing behind a mountain top, the moon and the stars rolling in, the salty scented air and the soft sound of waves lapping against the shore. She needed just a few humble minutes to compose herself and to conclude what an idiot she was once again for letting other people influence her state of mind so easily.  
 _"Nn, nnn, nobody's fault but mine!"_ She sang and then smiled. Just as she started to make her leave there was a rustle in the nearby bush. She turned to see what it was but did not see a thing. Then she heard it again and this time she made it sure to see what that noise is about. She headed towards the damned bush but soon found out that the noise wasn't coming from the bush but from the bunker which was next to the bush.  
 _"Great, just fucking great! Oh I'm such a wuss..."  
_ When she finally found some courage she peered at the entrance of the bunker only to find it pitch black, the sound continuing still. She turned the light on her mobile phone and directed it towards the place where the sound was coming from. She was relieved when she found a certain hedgehog eating whatever it was already eating.  
"Hello there small one! What are you eating, is it something tasty?" she said out loud. The hedgehog stopped eating and looked at her curiously.  
 _"Oh, perhaps I have something for you just let me look into my pockets."_ Diana searched her pockets and eventually found a small bag with honey in it.  
 _"You are such a lucky guy or a girl! I know you hedgehogs are crazy about honey."_ She took a few steps closer while still being watched by the hedgehog that started to sniff the air around. She bent down while opening the bag, she put one drop on her finger and reached it over to the hedgehog that recognized the smell and came closer in order to lick it. Then Diana grabbed the little fellow in her palms and quickly took it outside of the bunker on the beach where she could see it more clearly.  
The poor little fellow rolled into a ball and while Diana was adjusting her grip on it she noticed something strange on its spines. There on the back of its spines laid some kind of a strange bunch of leaves.  
 _Wtf is this?_ She plucked it off of the hedgehog's back and observed it for a few moments.  
"I have never seen the leaves structured like this ones, this is unusual." The leaves seemed to be similar to those ones of a pine tree but thicker and with a flower in between them, and the flower was a strange thing too. It was made of three petals of purple colour with a triangular golden centred part.  
 _"Interesting!" here is your portion of the honey."_ She said while still tempting to resolve her main enigma. The hedgehog was enjoying its honey when it soon all fell apart when the little fellow stopped eating and began to involuntary move. At that moment Diana was really scared and took up the hedgehog and placed it next to her chest. Something was wrong and she could feel it. Now the flower was in her left hand and the hedgehog in her right. She again glanced at the flower thinking that maybe she should place it back on the hedgehog.  
Suddenly the flower started to rotate in her palm, at first slowly, but as seconds flew by the rotation grew faster until in the end she was rotating as well. Somewhere in all that mess the hedgehog was free of her grip landing who knows where and Diana rotating as ever so quickly.

* * *

After some time Diana gained her conscious. Her head was still aching and she was on the ground, to be more exact she could feel the grass against her body which immediately alarmed her and she opened her eyes only to find herself surrounded by tall trees.  
 _"Koji kurac je sad ovo? "/Wtf is this? She_ began to talk to herself. It was one of her habits; when being alone she would talk to herself out loud. _"Where the hell am I?"_ Then she noticed that she was changed, physically changed. She could feel her hair down her back which meant it was longer than before she came to this place. She took a strand on the left side of her head and prayed that it was unchanged. She opened her eyes and saw the blue streak among her natural dark brown waves, the blue part remained the same, she was so happy and tucked strands behind her ear only to find it somehow unusually sharp.  
 _"Oh my... It's pointy!"_ Then it dawned on her.  
 _"Jesus, I am an elf! An elf lost in time and space. I could be almost anywhere in the Middle Earth, almost anywhere. Um, also I am such a smartass to wish having the same hairstyle as before. Just great, now even when someone finds me they will for sure think that I am the weirdest elf they have ever seen in the whole of their existence .An elf with blue streak of hair on the left side of the head. Not to mention my attire, tobacco, lighter, mobile phone and headphones. How am I supposed to explain everything or anything concerning my sudden appearance in this god forsaken forest? Hell, I even don't know elvish. Hmm... For the time being I think amnesia will suffice.  
Can orcs climb up trees? No, I think they cannot.  
_Diana then climbed up the tallest tree she found in vicinity. She managed it without a problem, but was still accustoming to the feeling of being an elf. The plan was to roughly determine her position and to wait until someone passes by, then the second plan would be to try and make a company with that certain someone. She forgot to hide her stuff so she headed back on the ground but along the way down, with a corner of her eye she caught some hole in the branch to her right. She looked at the hole and decided to put the stuff in it. Now she needed something with which she could cover it in order to keep it safe from curious eyes. She tore a bunch of branches which were full with leaves and managed to put them on the top of the hole.  
"Now that this is done, off I go to keep watch."

* * *

...After several hours...

It was almost dawn when Diana was awoken by loud noise which scared her and due to that she almost fell of a tree but luckily secured herself by holding onto a branch. The miraculous notion even to her was that she was in such a state to fall asleep on the tree. Moreover, the noise was unknown to her, it was becoming louder and louder which meant that whoever was producing it was coming closer to her. In few seconds she heard orcs, and tried to concentrate to find out how many of them were there.  
 _"8 or 9_ " she thought. " _Not much, but still problematic."_ Orcs were running from something, they were being chased. A rush of adrenaline hit Diana and it felt kind of good, and in that very moment she knew that elves were near, she was able to sense them. From up the tree she watched as each orc was struck by arrows, when there were three left she was on the ground engaging in the fight. She came behind one of the orcs and quickly pulled his head on one of the sides, the sound of cracking bones shooting through the air, but before Diana could feel the thrill something hit her in the head, and in a second the gravity brought her to her rightful place, that is, on the ground.  
 _"I got him!"_ said Tauriel as arrow found its way in the orc's head. Legolas was already next to Diana examining her head injury.  
 _"It is not as bad as it looked when she was hit. It will be about five hours until she awakes, though I am not sure how is she going to feel when she does finally awake. Come Tauriel, bring us our horses!"_ Legolas lifted Diana while she obliviously rested in his arms he inspected her looks. _"What an extraordinary-looking elleth! I wonder how she came here. What is with her hair, how it is possible for anyone to have such a colour?"_ He thought. Tauriel came back with horses and helped Legolas with mounting Diana on one of them. Neither of them spoke while riding back to the halls of the elf-king, they both sensed that the king will be pretty upset concerning the new intruder which they were about to present very soon.


	2. Willpower

WILLPOWER

King Thranduil was in the royal library his steel-blue eyes were skimming through text of some old book until one of his guards interrupted:  
"My king, Legolas and Tauriel have returned and they are not alone."  
With that said Thranduil looked at the guard and furrowed with his left brow, slightly irritated he stood up leaving the book on a desk.  
"Where are they now?"  
"Legolas is waiting for you in the halls, Tauriel is in the healing rooms with the third company, but will be shortly back to the halls." The guard responded.  
"You are free to go." Thranduil said dismissively. He hurried towards the halls, his mind was busy thinking of that company and other consequences that came along with it  
 _"Who dares to cross a foot in my kingdom? It has been long ago since we have had any intruders. It seems that I will have to put extra forces in order to keep my boundaries well watched. It is as if we do not have enough of those ghastly orcs and horrendous spiders roaming around. Whoever it turns out to be it shall have a lot of explaining to do and if I find it unsatisfactory than the dungeons will do!"  
_ At once he composed himself putting on his mask of coldness he was swiftly rushing through passages until he entered the hall seeing Legolas waiting for him. Legolas turned.  
 _"My king!"_ he said. Now Thranduil was in front of him, he didn't bother to sit on the throne he found it unnecessary at the moment. He looked into his son's eyes and a moment later said:  
 _"Legolas, explain everything!"  
_ " _As you already know Tauriel and I were in the woods, south-westerly of the river, searching for spiders when we came upon a pack of orcs. There were sixteen of them, we started to shoot arrows and some of them we killed while some tried to escape by running away. As the forest grew thicker we left our horses and ran to catch and kill them. When we came to where the last three orcs were, we were surprised to see an elleth fighting with her bare arms, we did not see her until then, and she killed one of them in one swift move, but another orc was behind her and hit her in the head with a hammer. Then Tauriel finished him off and I ran to see how much damage was done to the elleth. We mounted on our horses and came here as fast as we could."_ Legolas could see the startled expression on his father's face. _  
"What was an unarmed elleth doing on our land in the first place? Wandering around for mere purpose of finishing herself off?_ Thranduil grew agitated.  
" _Adar, I do not think it was her attention to do so, also I do not know why she had chosen to come here. I assume that she is far away from her home." L_ egolas said with a somehow distant look in his eyes. Thranduil glanced at Legolas seeing his expression and knew there was more to this, he felt inquisitive now.  
 _"Do not speak to me in riddles! What is it you wanted to say with her being far away from her home?_ They were interrupted by Tauriel who entered the hall. She heard king's words and wished she wasn't there, yet she greeted the king.  
" _Majesty, I am back from the healing rooms, the elleth Legolas and I brought will be fine. It looks like a minor injury, she has a scratch and the area which was hit is swollen and the healer Aethriel tended to her, she says that the elleth will probably wake up in about few hours."  
"Tauriel thank you for bringing the news, I want you to go back to the healing rooms and watch over the elleth, when she awakes come directly to me," _he commanded.  
" _I will your majesty_." She answered and quietly left the two of them alone. Thranduil once again turned to Legolas.  
" _So Legolas please continue!"  
"Ada, she looks so strange, like she is from totally unknown distant and undiscovered world! _His lips curled into a small smile and his eyes twinkled.  
" _Legolas bring yourself together, you are not a child anymore and yet you speak to me as if you were one._ He felt more and more impatient as each second flew by.  
" _She has the streak of blue hair that is , turquoise to be more exact."_  
 _"WHAT?"_ Thranduil almost lost it. He stared at his son with a bewildered look on his face. He had enough of it. He looked daggers at Legolas.  
 _"Not only that you cannot speak properly but you take pleasure by mocking me as well!"  
"I feel sorry that you think I would mock you about such things. Come, let us go to the healing rooms and you will see it for yourself_." Thranduil nodded and they headed to the healing rooms.

* * *

When Tauriel reached the healing rooms she ordered Aethriel to leave. She took a sit near the bed and tried to calm herself. It seemed to her that the king always knew what to do or say just to piss her off momentarily. She could have been practicing now but no, why would she be when there is a more important task to do according to the king. _"He is such an ass!"_ She turned and studied Diana _.  
_ She too found her hair strange but on the other hand it looked good because the blue brought out her fair features. Then she remembered how the elleth had killed that orc. It impressed her and she could not help herself thinking that this elleth and she had something in common. She smiled and stood up in order to get a cup of water.  
Tauriel was soon back, she put the glass on a table and lowered herself over Diana and rested her palm on Diana's forehead. She didn't have fever which was a good sign. Then Tauriel took one of her blue locks between her fingers and felt a bit disappointed because it felt the same as all normal hair did. She expected that since it was different it had to feel different too, but in the end she was wrong. Right in that moment Thranduil and Legolas came in, Tauriel jumped back because they scared the shit out of her.  
"King, captain." She managed to articulate and sat down on a chair.  
Thranduil rushed over to the bed and stared down on the elleth, his hand automatically reached for locks.  
" _So it is true! She really does have a streak of blue hair!." He managed to say.  
"I told you so ada, but you would not believe me. Now you see it clearly. Do you believe me now?"  
"I do, and I apologize for not believing you the first time you said it."  
"Apology accepted." _Legolas said and smiled to his father _._ Thranduil looked at both of them skimming from one to another.  
" _You will excuse me now. I have some urgent business to attend to at once and I am afraid that it cannot be delayed."_ He rushed through the doors before Tauriel and Legolas could even react.

* * *

 **So since I haven't told you anything about this fic let me begin... this is my 1** **st** **fic and I am sort of still trying to find the right combination of my so to say writing style. I also hope that you don't mind possible errors in grammar since English isn't my mother tongue. I can't believe that I am posting the second chapter so soon, actually it is less than 30 hours since I posted the first one and the only reason why I am posting it is because I already got one follower; SparklesJustReads, and one rewiev by the little vampire lover and I thought that it would pass some time till I would get either but now I am grateful cause there are actually some people who like it . I am grateful to both of you and I feel you deserve to see this chapter and hope that you will enjoy it. Also if there is anobody who would like to reccomend me with any info whether it be grammar or the plot or sth else feel free to pm me! =D**


	3. Secret of the Ancients

SECRET OF THE ANCIENTS

Thranduil was back in the royal library. It really frustrated him how he knew nothing about elves and their hair, well to narrow it down, blue hair in particular. Were there any elves with such a feature? Not a single one that he knew about. Of course he had heard stories about unique physical features which some members of his kin possessed but he never reckoned them to be true."Where do I even start?" He walked to the rear portion of the library where sort of a biological and healing section was. There he glimpsed through titles and picked four books. He turned back and sat on a chair taking the first book. After several minutes he was done with the second one, neither of them held the information he needed. The third book was an old one of brown cover and golden title, he was lucky with this one. Frantically he turned pages until he read the title:

' **'Elves and their hair colours'** '  
He skimmed through text until he came upon what he needed.

...It is generally uncommon for the elves to have different hair colour beside it being black, red, blonde, brown and white. Still there have been recorded few cases where some elves had different hair colour than the natural one. (It can include whole hair or just a streak). The connection between all the recorded cases (as well as of some other features which are triggered by the same action but are mentioned in other chapters), is that during the pregnancy a mother has survived a trauma, whether a physical or a mental one. Furthermore, the trauma causes the formation of a birthmark somewhere on the child's body. The mark can be of a red or brown colour. As the pregnancy progresses and the mother is more in sync with the child, she is able to feel the after effects of her trauma on the child; that is the birthmark. Even though at first feeling a new energy may be confusing for the mother the child accepts it from the beginning and even encourages it in order to strengthen the bond between the two. It is believed that when the bond is strong enough the Valar provide the mother with a wish. She can desire anything she wants concerning her child (whether a physical feature or a personality trait), and when she gives birth the wish will (be)come true. Moreover, concerning our theme our sources provide us with the information of approximately fifty elves who had different hair colour. The commonest among those were purple and afterwards blue and green..."

As Thranduil read the paragraph he felt the wave of relief engulfing his mind. He stood up and went over to the history department where various chronicles were held, he knew all too well which one he craved for at the moment. ''The Middle Earth Chronicle'' he chuckled and moved the book aside just to take what was behind it. Turning back he sprawled onto settee and thought to himself:  
"After such hectic activities in my realm I merely deserve a humble, daily dose of vitamins which I am in substantial need of." He poured the Dorwinion wine in a glass and took a sip.  
"Mmm, the only thing that never fails me!"

Up in the healing rooms the situation is about to change since Diana became fully conscious. She could hear but somehow she still didn't want to open her eyes because she didn't want to face the consequences of her previous actions therefore, she laid on the bed pretending to be asleep while her mind was trying to collect her thoughts.  
"There is not much time, Diana you must, no, you have to think as fast as you can. What will you tell them? Now when I think of that plan with amnesia it doesn't sound a bit plausible. Dear Lord, fuck, fuck and fuck! Maybe I should say that my parents died when I was young and as I was a hyperactive elfling I have wandered off and common people found me and raised me... This would explain a lot but the slight problem is my age. How old am I here? If I was 25 on the Earth, and let us say that it is a quarter, no, a third of a life span than in the elvish life span it would be around 1000 years, even more than that. Jesus Christ! No one will ever believe me. They will ask what I have been doing for the last 1000 years and what am I supposed to answer? Perhaps that I've been hiding from them or acting out Columbus and trying to find a new continent in the Middle Earth! Hahahaha. I am really pathetic. Moreover, what about my clothes? They should have looked like some strange fashion to those who tended me. Luckily I wore pretty much plain clothes; the boots-not that unordinary, leggings and a simple t-shirt. Actually the clothes probably won't pose a problem as a one thousand year gap. There is no sense in trying to make an alibi, I'll play the amnesia card for the time being until I figure it out.  
Diana rolled over opening her eyes only to see Tauriel sitting in the chair and looking directly at her  
"Hello." She mumbled.  
"Good evening, how do you feel? Tauriel asked.  
"I have a headache, umm, where am I and who are you? Diana tried to act confused and fortunately the headache helped her in that aim.  
"I am Tauriel and you are in the healing rooms of the Woodland Realm, you were injured by an orc and found by Legolas and me, we brought you here. What is your name? Tauriel asked while giving her a cup of water.  
"Tauriel, Legolas, Mirkwood... and their creepy king... Shit..." she thought and then continued out loud: "Mm...My name?" Tauriel could see the horror in Diana's eyes.  
"I am quite positive it is Aegeria. But I cannot recall how and why I have decided to come in your realm. She took a sip of water and lowered her gaze on the blanket with which she was covered continuing: "My brain is squirming like a toad and everything concerning my memories appears scattered and complex to reorganize it in an apprehensive form." Tauriel took Diana's hand on her own.  
"Aegeria, do not worry, you only woke up. It is natural to feel dizzy and disoriented after a head injury you obtained. It will take some time until everything sinks in."  
"I sincerely hope so." Aegeria answered, her lips shaping a little smile.  
"I should go now since the king ordered me to fetch him as soon as you are up. I will do my best to keep him from bothering you unnecessarily. After all you need to rest as much as you can."  
"Tauriel! Thank you." To that Tauriel smiled and left to find the king.

The king was still lounging in the royal library, drinking the wine and musing over the new elleth. It was entertaining to him how at first he was at his wits' end by the whole situation, not knowing anything about her. He still does not but step by step he will determine the true purpose of her existence in his kingdom.  
"I am not wholly sure if I should give her hard time or wait for her to let it slip." He took another sip staring at his reflection in the half empty bottle of wine.  
"Your Majesty." Tauriel greeted. "I am here to inform you that Aegeria woke up."  
"So she did. How is she feeling?" Thranduil asked.  
"Her head aches, she is disoriented and seems to have amnesia, but if you wish to see her you can."  
"And I will, let us go. He went to accompany Tauriel thinking to himself: "So it would seem I will have to wait her to let it slip and along with amnesia she will fail rather quickly in whatever she has intended."

 **Folks here's another chapter for you! Enjoy it.**


	4. The fire in her eyes

THE FIRE IN HER EYES

Aegeria was out of the bed walking around healing rooms trying to find a lavatory.

" _Oh come on! There must be a lavatory somewhere in here if the elves have it as such. Maybe they pee in specially designed urns, I am certain that I will if I don't find a lavatory soon. An aspirin would be welcome as well, not one but a handful to rid me of the king's interrogation."_ She found the lavatory which was in the opposite room.  
" _There it is_!" she did what she had to and felt relieved, only then did she look around.  
 _"Little buggers! They have better lavatories than on the Earth."_

The whole room was made of wood, the front doors were carved, and right at the entrance were situated three oval-shaped washbasins, above them were large cisterns camouflaged by carvings of different woodland birds while the air smelled of pines. Toilets themselves were similar to the ancient Roman ones. But what was most surprising was the stream continuously flowing on the back wall of the lavatory and going beneath the toilets. Beside the practicability it also gave a more vivid dimension to the room in the means of sight and hearing. Aegeria washed her hands and looked her reflection in the mirror.

" _I haven't looked like this in a while no matter the elvish features I still look shittier than ever. The bags under my eyes are just horrific but on the other hand, my large brown eyes seem to shine with a new sparkly energy. My hair is longer and wavier, and unbelievably the streak is of the exact shade I wanted it to be. Ah, the fortunes of being an elleth. Hahahah."_ With that she went back to bed.

In few minutes Tauriel and the king appeared in Aegeria's room, she sat upright and was looking out of the window. Turning her head slowly she first looked at Tauriel and than the king, taking a deep breath she greeted the king and bowed.

" _King Thranduil it is a great honour to meet you. Needless to say, words cannot express how extremely grateful I am for everything that has been done for my well-being._ " They were eyeing one another and by judging both of them the game was on.

 _"Lady Aegeria, considering the circumstances under which my captains have found you, the only reasonable thing for you to do would be to thank the Valar for keeping you alive. Undoubtedly it is exceedingly foolish to wander around alone and unarmed, especially for an elleth ignorant of her surroundings."  
_  
Aegeria could feel the burning sensation upon her cheeks her heart beating faster. She wanted to look away but knew that she would look like a coward besides there was no way in whole of the universe that she would grant Thranduil such pleasure therefore, she looked at his iron gaze more steadily and cocked her right eyebrow. He noticed it and a small smirk flickered at the corner of his lips.

" _Furthermore, I firmly believe that for the time being it would be desirable if you stayed here until your condition improves_." Thranduil concluded.

 _"You speak truth lord, and if it is desired of me to stay then I will_." Aegeria told him as calmly as she was able.

 _"I hope you will find my halls warm and welcoming._ " He exclaimed in an icy tone not blinking once.

 _"I am convinced I will!_ She smiled breaking away from his eerie eyes and turned to Tauriel who smiled back.

" _Good bye Lady Aegeria."  
_  
 _"Good bye king Thranduil."_ They glanced at one another for the last time that day. Both Thranduil and Tauriel left healing rooms.

* * *

When they were gone Aegeria abruptly stood up and rushed over to the lavatory.

 _"He is such a cunt of the king, pretentious bastard, he can go to hell and stuck that trashy crown up his ass!_ " She washed her face and drank a bit of water then returned to bed.

" _So the idiot king thinks that I am careless and stupid, like he would do anything better if he was all of a sudden hurled on the Earth. I am again overreacting but still there was that one moment when he was so calm, unaffected and cold while reproaching that I almost lost it and wanted to slap him. Glad I didn't otherwise he would have me thrown into the dungeons. Then again, I have to admit that there is something alluring in his appearance. Perhaps that is the reason why I reacted the way I did. All in all, I am proud that I managed to behave ladylike."  
_  
Aegeria was watching the sunset through the window. It was fairly different from the one she was used to but not less beautiful. This one denoted the same feeling in her being. She could feel the calmness creeping in her mind. It was strange to her how she always felt calm when she watched the horizon especially during sunset. It is so because of all the magnificent colours that can be seen. The highest branches of trees reflected the sunshine materializing the contrast of dark green beneath and coppery above. The forest slowly humming and the sun swiftly running soon the clash of the light and the dark is about to take place. It is a never-ending war with battles twice a day yet both are equal in their victories. Equal in forming something bigger than themselves, two opposites still, they make one. As the sun about to be gone the different shades of blue, orange, pink and purple started to dance around, each trying to claim a part of the sky for itself. Showtime was on till actor and actresses came to present their play which was nothing more than staying still while shining and twinkling. Aegeria was tired and soon the sleep overtook her. 

* * *

The dinner hall was full of elves, their chatter filled the air. The main table was situated horizontally at the back end of the hall and other tables were at the angle of 90° to the main and divided into columns and rows. Lights were high up, shining brightly; they were encircling the whole hall. A dozen of elves started to bring the necessities; some were holding large bowls while others carried wine and water. The bowls were full of different kinds of fruits and vegetables. As the dinner was served the king wasn't hungry so he moved his food around the plate. Legolas noticed it and started a conversation.

 _"Ada what is bothering you?"_  
 _"Nothing is bothering me!_ " Thranduil answered his look still on the plate.  
" _It is, you have not eaten anything and judging by that stare on your face, you are lost somewhere in that mind of yours. Now pray tell me what is on your mind."  
_ Thranduil lifted his head and directed his gaze to Legolas.

 _"It is about Lady Aegeria. My main concern is how to present her to my people. The majority of them know that she is here; the problem is that we do not know anything about her except her name and that she is of our kin. In my opinion it would be highly inappropriate of me to present her while having insufficient information about her."_  
 _"So she managed to remember her name that is a good sign. Nevertheless, your worry is justified but hopefully she will regain her memory and when she does she will explain everything to you. In the mean time you should be honest and if anyone asks you about her tell them the truth."_ Legolas said in a sympathetic tone trying to ease his father.

" _Ah, Legolas there will come time when you will discover for yourself that truth sometimes is not good enough."_ Thranduil took a sip of wine.  
 _"Than I should spend my days better because I fear that day coming. In what kind of a world are we living in if truth is not enough?_ " A look of disappointment emerged on Legolas' face.

" _In a peculiar world of adults._ " Thranduil nonchalantly answered.

* * *

When the dinner was over Legolas rushed over to talk to Tauriel. He touched her on the left shoulder and she turned recognizing him she smiled.

 _"Legolas, do you need something?_ " He moved her to the side.  
" _There is, I wish to speak with you if you have time?"_  
 _"I do have time. Tell me what is it that you wish to speak of?_ " A slight look of concern crossed her face.  
 _"I will tell you but firstly let's go outside for a walk!_ "  
He demanded and she complied. They passed several corridors and where outside in one of gardens. This one was medium sized and its main attraction was a small pond in the middle of it. Reeds growing on one part of the pond were gently swinging in the light breeze and water lilies floated freely across the surface which glimmered reflecting the light of the distant stars above. The breeze delivered the scent of orange from the garden next to this one. They were in front of the pond and Legolas turned in order to see Tauriel, his eyes searching hers.

 _"I want to speak about lady Aegeria. I assume you were there when she woke up, weren't you?"  
_  
 _"It is true I was there. What is it that you wish to know about her? "  
_  
 _"First of all, I want to know how is she and how long will take for her to recover?"  
_  
 _"When she woke up she had a headache, she was also disoriented and seems to suffer of partial amnesia. From what I have seen I think that she will recover in a week but I cannot say the same for the amnesia part. It may take several days or weeks however we both know that it may as well never happen but I hardly doubt it will happen as she remembered her name."_ She was now looking the pond and Legolas looked her fair profile.

 _"So roughly in a month or even less we will know where we stand with her. The king will not be happy about it. He already worries too much because he does not know how to present her and everyone will soon start asking questions, you know how those things go in court circles. But will you tell me what you think of her?"  
_  
 _"I am not sure how to answer... There is something interesting about her. You have seen the way she killed that orc? I must admit that it left me awestruck. She came out of nowhere and in the blink of an eye killed the orc."  
_  
 _"I agree, she seems strong and agile we only have to find out how good is she with the bow and the sword. We may have a competition and a possible new captain of the guard!"_ They both laughed at this. Tauriel continued:

"Y _ou are laughing now but what if she proves to be better than you in a fight? I would surely like to see that!" She was giggling._  
 _"And I would like to see her winning a fight between you too!"  
_  
 _"I see that she is slowly winning over our hearts; hopefully she will recover soon so that we can appraise her skills."_ Said Tauriel looking at Legolas' eyes. She noticed that they were glowing and her heart skipped a beat.

 _"She is and she will. Come now it is time for us to get back inside. This was one really adventurous day and I must confess that I am exhausted."  
_  
 _" I am too, but still I feel excited over tomorrow, who knows what awaits us...and till then, I wish you a good night!_ She stopped.

" _May you as well have a good night, see you tomorrow."_ Said Legolas they both bowed to each other and each left in a separate direction to their chambers.

* * *

The king was in his study sitting at the desk and trying to organize scattered papers on top of the desk. When he was done with it he went over to the window and looked through it to see the bright Moon glooming in the sky. He took a deep breath and recounted to himself what happened earlier that day. In short, everything was connected to lady Aegeria therefore; he took her behaviour during their brief meeting into account.

" _Lady Aegeria conducted herself with dignity and in a good manner although that same dignity caused her downfall. It took only two sentences to get her extremely annoyed but she managed to stay composed. She even tried to be rebellious in some strange way. When I finally thought that she would look away she did the opposite and looked even more sharply at me, but when I smirked it put her off and for a split second I thought I saw the fire in her eyes. Her attitude is unlike that of our kin; at first she appears composed but if it does not go as she planned it then she gets almost raging frustrated like some kind of a control freak, therefore, it would be wise to keep her under the watchful eye. The rest of the conversation was purely acted out from her side with the intention of keeping the good reputation but for how long will she endure?_ "

He paced around the room and soon left to his bed chamber in order to get some sleep, only the Valar knew how badly he needed it.

* * *

 **Thanks for reviews, follows and favs! I wish to all of you a merry X-mas and a happy New Year, may all you wishes come true! I hope you liked this chapter since it is the** **last one in this year. (Reviews would be nice.) I almost forgot to mention that Aegeria's name is pronounced /Egeri** **ʌ/ and Aethriel /ʌeϴri:el/.**


	5. Follow Me

FOLLOW ME

* * *

The next morning Aegeria was abruptly rid of her sleep by the loud sound of glass crushing on the floor. She heard a female voice saying something but she didn't understand it at all.

 _"Hello there!"_ She said with a shaky voice. An elleth stood up since she was collecting the broken glass.

 _"Good morning lady Aegeria. I am sorry if my clumsiness woke you up."_ Said the elleth.

 _"Don't worry about it I would wake up anyway, so sooner the better in my opinion. What is your name?"  
_  
 _"I am Aethriel, and as you can clearly see I am a healer. From now on till you recover I will be at your service."_ Aethriel slightly bowed to Aegeria.

 _"If there is anything that you are in need of, feel free to ask me."_ Aethriel continued.

 _"Actually there is something, my head still aches it is not as much as it did yesterday but still it bothers me. Is there something that you could give me?_ Aegeria asked.

 _"Of course there is! Just let me deal with this mess I made and then I will bring you the medicine you asked for."_

With that she left and Aegeria watched her and couldn't help herself thinking how beautiful this elleth was. She had wavy, honey-coloured hair, deep green eyes that were almost the colour of malachite, tall and slender, while she moved it seemed as if there was a circle of unexplainable lightness around her. She simply emanated pleasant energy, Aegeria could feel it and subconsciously knew that she would get along with this elleth. When Aethriel returned she immediately gave Aegeria the medicine and notified her about what was expected of her that day.

 _"So lady Aegeria you do know that you should take a bath and wash your hair, well I will see if that is possible considering the injury you have, then a seamstress will come here to take your measures so you could have something to wear and lastly, if you need a fresh breath of air we can go for a walk. "  
_  
 _"There is no need for you to call me a lady, my name is sufficient enough. Is there any chance that you could bring me something to eat because if I do not eat soon we are going to literary hear my belly grumbling which probably won't sound at all nice and everything that we need to be do will probably fail miserably."_ Aegeria pleaded.

" _Oh sorry, I totally forgot about breakfast, do you wish to eat something specific?_ "Aethriel asked.

 _"No, whatever you bring will serve the purpose, thank you."  
_  
 _"Alright, I will be right back._ " Aethriel hurried to kitchens and Aegeria went to the lavatory to wash her face, when she got back Aethriel was waiting for her with a bowl full of colourful fruit in her hands. They sat at the desk; Aegeria started devouring fruit while Aethriel was looking at her and when she gained courage she asked:

 _"Aegeria, can I ask you something?"_ Her voice was shaky and insecure.

 _"Sure, why do you even ask me such a question?"_ Aethriel blushed a little.

 _"Where do you hail from?"_ Aegeria almost chocked she looked Aethriel straight in the eyes she stopped eating frozen at the moment then she closed her eyes with that expression of ''trying to remember" and continued...

 _"Frankly, I myself am not sure about that but if I recall correctly I hail from far north-west. I do not know the reason why my parents left to live in such a remote place and among people. Anyway they were killed during an orc raid while I was about 650 years old and it tore my heart apart. Those were very hard times for me but the help came from ones I least expected it; people. They showed me the way out of the perpetual grief in which I was stuck for a long time. I still clearly remember that day as if it happened yesterday. Something changed in me, my perception of reality turned for 180 degrees and all it took was a little accidental push. It was an ordinary spring day, the sun was shining brightly upon our little village, and roofs were glimmering in shades of gold while birds chirped happily. I was on my way to market when all of a sudden I felt someone tugging at my dress. I spun around only to see a little girl no more than five years old with a broad grin on her face and she said to me:  
_  
" _Follow me!" and sprinted off with another boy. I quickened my pace and after three turns or so I found both of them in a small clearing towering over a basket. The girl took a pup from the basket and came to me carrying it. It was a small black-furred ball. She looked at me with her big blue eyes and in amazement said:  
_  
 _"Look, he is different like you are! "_

 _To that I said:" Pardon me?" The girl was on her tiptoes her hands as high as they could reach.  
_  
 _"His eyes! One is brown and the other is blue!"  
_  
 _"But my eyes are of the same colour." I answered."  
_  
 _"They are but your hair isn't, it makes you different."  
_  
 _"You speak truth but still there is something you got wrong... "I lowered myself and smirked at her.  
_  
 _"What?" She asked baffled."  
_  
 _"It is not him but her!" I smiled."  
_  
 _"How do you know? Her eyes went bigger."  
_  
 _"I suppose there are more of them in the basket?"  
_  
 _"There are four more!" She exclaimed excitedly.  
_  
 _"Great! Come I will show you." So we both left over to the basket and I showed her how to distinct male and female dogs.  
_  
 _That was the beginning of my so to say baby-sitting career. It was so wonderful to take care of children; they are honest, interesting and simple. Sometimes they bother, get angry, are up to some mischief but you have to be patient and have nerves to deal with them, and believe me sometimes you cannot believe how smart they are, they observe our world in so different way than we adults do. That intrigued me the most about them and that is why I gained deep affinity for them. But to an every nice thing in a life there comes an end. Eventually I decided that life among people is not for me since I am immortal being and they are not so I started exploring my kin and as you can see I ended up here in Mirkwood."  
_  
 _"My condolences, you have been through a lot, I cannot even imagine how hard it must have been to lose both of your parents... If it ever happened to me I do not know if I would have enough strength to overcome such grief but I am glad that you overcame it."  
_  
" _You only think that, you would be amazed to see how all of us are strong that is to say, how strong our will for survival is. But let us chat about brighter themes. Pray tell me something about yourself!"_ Aegeria stated encouragingly.

 _"I am 830 and a healer obviously. I have been here all my life and that's pretty much it. I live a simple and dull life."_ Aethriel said disappointingly while Aegeria grinned.

" _Well, we are going to change that soon by spicing it up!"_ They both giggled. Aethriel stood up and got behind Aegeria to examine her head injury.

" _You have a nasty injury but by the looks of it the open wound itself has healed, but the swelling will take few more days to heal properly. It is no wonder that your head aches. I am going to prepare you more of the medicine so that you have it just in case."  
_  
 _" So it is few more days of torture for me. Do you know how hard it is to sleep with that on the back of my head? Absolutely wonderful if you prefer to sleep on sides and I do but the problem is the rolling part; every time when I roll over I forget the swelling and feel a sharp pain bolting through my head."_  
 _"It will pass; now let us go to baths!_ They left chatting still.

 _"This may sound stupid since I do not know your custom but how do you bathe?"_

 _"Here in the king's palace we have public baths which consist of a pool, hot tubs, a steam room and dressing rooms. There is also a schedule when you can use it since elleths and ellons use it separately. From 6 am till 8am it is used by ellons, from 8am till 10am is time for elleths and so every two hours throughout the day the exchange occurs. In my opinion baths are one of the best spaces in the entire palace."  
_  
" _You are kidding me right? You really have all that in baths?_ Confusion was written all over Aegeria's face.

 _"I am not kidding with you and yes, we do have all that stuff."_

 _"If only I knew that before, I would get much sooner here!"_

* * *

The main entrance to the baths was a marble arch which straight sides were carved forming a figure of an elleth at each side. The one on the left held a bowl from which water ran out in a pond beneath and the elleth on the right held a water lily in her hands. Above was inscription in Sindarin. Upon entering the whole inside space was immense and natural light passed through a hole on the roof. Everything in this room was naturally made from rock and it looked like an enormous cave. Dressing rooms were at two extreme side ends of the antechamber while in the middle of it was situated a rectangular room of small dimensions. On its entrance was carved a large sun with curved rays that slid off the doors on to the walls. It was a steam room and the air around it wafted with the aroma of lavender. Further on, or to say behind the steam room was naturally oval shaped space slightly modified by elves to serve them a purpose. On the left side a waterfall fell down in a big round greenish pool fringed by marble stone. The water from the pool then ran slowly on the other side divided into 2 miniature streams. One of those streams was directed towards a compact boiler room which was not visible since it was built into cleft in the rock. The water was heated and then used in hot tubs. On the opposite side of the pool were cabins of smaller and bigger sizes. The small ones had a massage table in it and the bigger ones had bathtubs. When two of them arrived in antechamber Aegeria's jaws dropped, upon seeing this Aethriel burst out laughing hardly managing to say what she wanted to.

 _"Told you so!_ " She pulled Aegeria to their dressing room where they both undressed and took their bathrobes leaving the room. Aegeria felt a ray of fright crossing her being so she slowed a bit just to see what is Aethriel going to do.

 _"So Aegeria you can choose where to bathe; hot tubs or cold pool?"  
_  
 _"I think the cold pool will do better than the hot tub. Somehow cold water always brings me back to my senses, I feel more alive."_

 _"True, heart beats more and pumps more blood and you feel warmer that is to say, more alive. The only problem is how to get in the pool..."_ Aethriel's bathrobe slid from her and found itself laid against the hard white marble floor. Second later there was a splash, ripples forming on the crystal surface and a slender figure moving forward beneath the surface of the pool. Aegeria had no second thoughts and she too dropped the bathrobe and jumped, opening her eyes while underwater she felt the coldness swirling around her body. It felt good. In front she could see Aethriel emerging out of depths and then she did the same thing.

" _I feel reborn! This place is extraordinary; no words can describe how amazed I feel at the moment. This is a sort of a sanctuary for both mind and body! The pool, the waterfall, the whole setting is outstanding!"  
_  
 _"It is, and as I already said it is one of my favourite rooms in all of the palace. The only other room that I find amazing is the ballroom in the south part of the palace. Perhaps I will show it to you one day, maybe you will even get a chance to go on a celebration feast."_

 _"How does a regular Woodland feast look like?"_ Aegeria was all ears.

 _"Large amounts of various food and wine, lots of singing and dancing until the dawn. But all that does not matter if you do not have right people to spend that joyful time with."  
_  
 _"Who do you spend time with?"  
_  
 _"My best friend is Leuthalen, she is a chief cook. We have known each other for a long time, she is older than I am and smarter too."_ Aethriel giggled.

 _"Shall we go back to the dressing room? I am starting to feel cold."  
_  
 _"Sure."_ Aethriel answered.

Back in healing rooms they waited for seamstress to come, continuing conversation they have started.

 _"And is there anyone whom you consider a pain in the ass?_ Aegeria asked freely and Aethriel chuckled upon hearing her words.

 _"There is one elleth whom both Leuthalen and I detest and her name is Visariel. Her father is member of the king's court and one in the charge of the trade between Laketown and our Realm. You should only see how she behaves in front of other elves, like she is a queen. Just mention of her makes me_  
 _annoyed."  
_  
 _"Judging by what you have told me she seems to be an arrogant stuck-up bitch. Sorry about my language, I know that elves do not swear but when you are around people for centuries this is what happens!"  
_  
 _"I do not mind it just be careful when around elves of higher social status they will think poorly of you."  
_  
 _"I will try to but I do not promise that I will manage it 100%."  
_

* * *

There was a knock on the door, a seamstress came in.

 _"Lady Tillieth it is nice to see you. This is lady Aegeria."_ Aethriel greeted and introduced Tillieth to Aegeria and vice versa. Lady Tillieth started to take Aegeria's measures, she was an older elleth of around 4200 years, her warm brown eyes every now and then skimmed over Aegeria.

 _"Lady Tillieth I would like to know when will I be able to wear clothes you are to make for me?"_ Aegeria asked her eyes fixed on Tillieth's.

 _"Probably in 2 days and you will get 3 dresses."  
_  
 _"3 dresses..." Aegeria felt disappointed and went on:_  
 _"Is there any chance that you could make me leggings and whatever goes with it instead of a dress?"  
_  
 _"King's orders were crystal clear Lady Aegeria."  
_  
 _"But I do not even like to wear dresses, also it is not the king who will wear them but I am and frankly I do not care about his orders. Please lady Tillieth could you do it. It would make me extremely happy and I promise to return the favour! Moreover I need something in what I can train, jump and run around and with a dress on I hardly think it will be possible."_ There was a gleam of hope in her eyes as she saw a small smirk upon Tillieth's face.

 _"You lady are a very stubborn elleth, I can see it in your eyes. Since I do not wish to bicker with an elleth such as you I will do as you wish."  
_  
 _"I admit that sometimes I am stubborn but what did you mean with an elleth such as me?"  
_  
 _"It is simple; you are different, one of the special sort."_ Upon hearing this Aegeria was utterly confused.

 _"What special sort? What are you talking about?"  
_  
 _"That streak you have is a proof that Valar wanted you to be special. Was there an accident of any sort during your mother's pregnancy?"_ Aegeria froze remembering her mother's words...

 _"There was... when our hut was accidentally set on fire, but why does it even matter?"  
_  
 _"Oh, dear child you have absolutely no idea... There is a birthmark somewhere on your body and the very reason why you have it is because your mother survived that accident and it also indicates a sort of a closer connection with the Valar than we normal elves normally have. It seems that I have said much more than I should have...Pardon my lady, I am going off."_ Tillieth stood jumped, greeted Aethriel and abruptly left the healing room.  
Both of elleths were bewildered standing frozen one opposite the other. Then Aethriel came to her senses and slowly moved to Aegeria to sit on the bed.

 _"Aegeria, I really have no idea what was that she said but if you want me to check it out I will."  
_  
 _"And I know less than you do, you can check it although I have no idea where do you need to start..."  
_  
 _"Do not worry, the royal library will be a good start but the problem could be the king because he issues a permit."  
_  
 _"Oh splendid! Is there anything that can go unnoticed by that bugger?"  
_  
 _"Aegeria you know very well that you should watch your tongue. If someone hears you there could be punitive measures taken against you and believe me you do not want to experience the wrath of the king crushing upon you."_ Aethriel reproached.

" _So there is no freedom of speech in his magnificent kingdom? Come on, you cannot tell that you disagree about him being a bugger because he is, perhaps not total but a tiny bit of him is! I am100% sure about that."  
_  
 _"You are a batty elleth and I must admit that the king is a bugger but you did not hear me saying it!"  
_  
 _"At least I will come to my right mind and he will be a bugger forever! Once a bugger, forever a bugger!"_ Aegeria almost fell over from the bed laughing until she cried, the scene making Aethriel to laugh out loud too.

 _"So you rest and I will try to deal with the bugger and then I'll see you in the afternoon."  
_  
 _"Sure, you know this made my day, actually the bugger made it. See you soon then!"_ They both laughed to that and Aethriel left.

* * *

Hello there folks. I would like to explain why Diana isn't Diana anymore, I mean she is but I thought it would be sort of necessary to rename her since she is in new surroundings and therefore a new self... and she is already making up info about herself (but who wouldn't) but we will see how far she will get with it... anyway your opinions are important and I would like to know what you think about the story so far... (I actually never thought that I would care about your opinions but I do and only now I see how it is to be a "writer" and sincerely hope that you will write sth in return...) I hope you will enjoy it! =D


	6. Dangerous Liaisons

DANGEROUS LIAISONS

Aethriel was passing through corridors until she reached kitchens and found Leuthalen. She dragged her out of kitchens in a corridor, Leuthalen was puzzled by Aethriel's actions.  
 _"What is the matter with you, dragging me like that, now everyone will wonder what is happening!"_

 _"My dear, I don't care because I have something important to do and I will need help. When is lunch to be served?"  
_  
 _"Well someone is extra secretive today! Who cares about the lunch, I can serve it whenever I want to cause our cherished king isn't here!  
_  
 _"Oh, great! When you most need him he is who knows where..."  
_  
 _"He is on a hunting party with some of elf-lords. Why do you even need him?"  
_  
 _"Well... you know that new elleth of whom half of the palace is talking about?"  
_  
 _"The one that is said to have a streak of blue hair?"_ Leuthalen's eyes grew wider.

 _"Yes, anyhow, to make long story short, I must ask the king to grant me permission to borrow a book from the royal library."  
_  
 _"You will have to wait a day longer since the king is to return tonight, anyway I need to go back to kitchens, but we'll see each other during the lunch and talk about it!"_ Leuthalen swiftly strode off to kitchens. 

* * *

Some 200 meters outside of the palace was a glade where training took place. There were about 30 elves engaged in different disciplines. In one corner there were some elves engaged in swordplay, in the other corner were spearmen, while archers were isolated on the opposite side of the glade further to forest due to specific needs of their training techniques. Targets were directed from one another by 2 meters and archers chose on their own the distance they would shoot from. Of course Legolas and Tauriel were on the longest distance possible from the target. Legolas was showing off in front of Tauriel and it was slowly beginning to get on her nerves. He was almost always doing that and most of the times she did not mind it since she got used to it long time ago, yet today she felt differently. Everything Legolas did was done in a strange manner, he was full of energy but in a way which showed that he was easy-going flirtatious and above all cocky. He was smirking more, laughing more, talking more, he even touched her more in that coincidental manner when he was showing her how something was supposed to be done or when retrieving arrows. The good thing about the whole thing was that they were approaching to the end of their training and Tauriel was repeating that thought in her mind knowing it would help her ease her state of mind. Then when she thought it was enough for today she heard Legolas' voice shouting her name from above. She turned and cocked her head up only to see the prince high up trying to tame branches of an old oak tree. She laughed and murmured under her breath:

" _What in the name of Arda..?_ _Hey Legolas are you trying to imitate a squirrel?"  
_  
 _"Very funny but no, I am not, I am going to shoot from up here when I find a suitable branch."_ He was jumping around on branches looking for one from which he could see the aim and have a clear shoot at.

 _"You are a foolish lunatic! Just don't fall."  
_  
 _"Whatever, still, I am a better archer than you are!"  
_  
 _"Yeah sure!"  
_  
He found a suitable branch some 4 meters above the dusty forest ground, he positioned himself and was steadying his arm. He took a deep breath and upon exhaling released an arrow. It hit the target.  
He turned to Tauriel and smirked.

" _I cannot believe that you actually made it! Unbelievable!_ Tauriel exclaimed, her tone sounding more irritated than before, he will be rubbing her nose in it. Just in that moment there was a loud crack piercing the air around and before Legolas knew what has found him he was falling towards the ground. Luckily for him he had hit every bushy branch on his way down. Tauriel laughed spontaniously upon seeing the scene but as Legolas did not stand up she cursed under her breath rushing to him while he laid still on green bushy branches, few acorns were strewn around him. She bent down looking at his immovable body her palm reached his cheek.

 _"Legolas can you hear me?"_ Nothing happened. She started to shake him hoping it would make him come around but to no avail. Then after several seconds when she almost lost all hope and wanted to call for help a loud shout scared her to death and she both jumped back as well as screamed.  
"BOO!"

" _You idiot! Nostad lin sui orc! / (you stink like an orc). You scared me to death you really are not yourself today!"_ Legolas laughed loudly and merrily.

 _" I am not sure what scene was better; me falling down from a tree or you being scared to death and screaming like a little elleth!"  
_  
 _"It was definitely you, you should have seen the look upon your face, the utter horror your eyes blazed and the way your face twisted. I will never forget that expression!"_ Tauriel laughed heartily.

 _"That may be the truth and in the other hand you panicking around was a worthy scene too! Come and help me remove these branches somewhere. Hopefully no one will notice them."  
_  
" _Perhaps no one will notice branches but only the blind would not notice the state of the tree after your glorious encounter with it. There is missing one third of it!"  
_  
 _"We will pretend that nothing has happened and if anyone notices then I will take care of it."  
_  
 _"Fine. You know... It would be hilarious if your father was to notice: Hahaha. I can imagine him at the dinner table and one elf-lord telling him of that novelty, his face slowly beginning to change shape, he turns to you dead serious but inside he is boiling, wondering what in the Ea was on your mind... I do not know why I firmly believe that that situation would be almost epic as this one when you fell."  
_  
 _"Tauriel there are times when I wonder how ruthlessly twisted your mind can be and this is one of those times. Moreover, I doubt my father will ever find out about this since it is not a big deal after all."  
_ They picked up branches, walked over to a nearby evergreen shrub and thrown them in there. Then they went back to the palace for a lunch during which they decided to pay a visit to lady Aegeria since they felt obliged to watch over her, in a way they considered themselves as her guardians.

There was a knock on Aegeria's healing room...

 _"Who is it?"_

" _Tauriel and Legolas, may we come in?"_ Aegeria was surprised because she did not expect anyone to visit her especially not these two anyway she was happy that someone actually did care about her.

 _"Yes, of course."_ Once they came in Aegeria told them to take a seat which they did.  
 _"So what brings you here?"_

" _We wanted to see how you are doing."_ Legolas spoke.

" _I myself cannot believe how better I feel. So much better than yesterday, I am still taking some medicine for headaches that healer Aethriel left me. Besides that I am eager to get out of this room and bed as soonest as possible because I feel like I will rot away due to doing absolutely nothing."_ The three of them giggled.

" _You almost got a roommate today!"_ Tauriel exclaimed her eyes upon Legolas and her lips forming a smile.

 _"What, how?"_

" _Our prince here wanted to prove how of an excellent archer he is so since training grounds are not sufficient he climbed up a tree and aimed at a target from there..."_ Legolas could feel his face reddening from embarrassment but did not interrupt Tauriel since he saw how light-heartedly she was recounting the silly incident.

 _"And did he hit it?"_

 _"He did but briefly after he fell down. "_ Both elleths were laughing hard and if Legolas could turn into something I am convinced that we would be now seeing a tomato on that chair instead of him.

" _But that is not even the half of it. While he was falling down he hit every possible branch that was on his way down oh, and the look upon his face when the branch upon which he was standing made a cracking sound, just unforgettable!"_ They were still laughing.

" _Legolas are you usually that clumsy or was that a really rare opportunity when you were?"_ (I imagine the tomato on the chair answering to this question).

" _Absolutely not...but you may think otherwise after hearing this._ " Legolas aka tomato barely managed to speak.

" _I believe you but still I will have to see it for myself."_

" _Um, Aegeria concerning your memory... Do you recollect anything?"_ Tauriel cautiously asked. Upon hearing this Aegeria looked away.

 _" I do, just this morning when Aethriel asked me where do I hail from I remembered some of it, though I still cannot recollect that essential part; how I managed to come here."  
_  
" _That is really great. To be honest, there was a sparkle of doubt that you may never remember who you are but as I can see you are almost fully recovered and you remember majority of things therefore, I assume that even that last part which you cannot remember at the moment will eventually be uncovered. You only need to be patient."  
_  
 _"Hopefully it will come to me. I am glad that you are here, it means so much to me and I cannot wait till we spend some time outside on a training field!"  
_  
 _"Well we are going to, you just rest. The more you rest the sooner you will be outside with us!_ Said Legolas reassuringly then they greeted her and left, when they were walking through faintly lighted corridors of the palace Legolas began:

" _Tauriel why did you mention my little incident to lady Aegeria?"_ She stopped and looked straight into his sea-blue eyes.

 _"I do not know, it just came to me and judging by lady Aegeria's reaction she enjoyed it as much as I did. Moreover, you have to admit that it is a too hilarious incident and it would be a sin not to recount it!"  
_  
 _"In a way you are true but I will admit you that I felt embarrassed and awkward mainly because you two were laughing hysterically and it made me feel like I was not supposed to be there."  
_  
 _"Oh... I haven't thought of it, I apologize if my foolish behaviour has offended and assure you that it will not happen again!"_ She patted him on a shoulder.

" _I would appreciate it very much and on the other hand I have to tell you that you looked quite remarkable while recounting the incident!"_ Cocky smile appeared on his face and then he abruptly left her all alone in a corridor, she was stupefied by his words and stood there for a few seconds then she left to her bed chamber thinking what he meant with those words he said. 

* * *

Somewhere in the deep woods of Mirkwood the king and his company were on a hunting party and the past hour it has been a real nightmare for the king. He could hear from behind him three elf-lords rambling on about new elleth, each one had a theory of their own and soon it turned into a heated debate. Thranduil pondered over the notion how quickly a rumour can be spread. It has been merely more than a full day since lady Aegeria was brought to the palace and yet everyone already knew about it.  
" _Why do they even take notice of such unimportant things? It would be much easier if they would not stick their noses into other elves' businesses. It is solely my business since I am their king, still it is amusing how each one considers himself competent enough to comment and debate on the matter."  
_  
The aim of the hunting party was to relax, to keep business matters and formalities inside the walls of the palace where they rightfully belonged and not the other way around. The cacophony continued only to mark an end to Thranduil's desperate craving for a piece of serenity. His only wish now was to see a creature whether an animal or an orc, anything actually that would redirect his thoughts from the rubbish those ellons were blabbering about. Then the inevitable happened.

 _"My lord what is your opinion on this matter?"_ One of elf-lords asked. Slightly annoyed Thranduil waited the elf-lord to come next to him and turned to look him straight in the eyes, answering placidly.

 _"Lord Finnelon the lady you are talking about has a name and it is Aegeria. Furthermore, I cannot see an obvious reason why would you unnecessary concern yourself with such things. As a matter of fact, lady Aegeria is merely our guest in the Woodland Realm and it was a grave misfortune that she and her small escort were ambushed by orcs. Unfortunately for her the escort fulfilled its cause while on the other hand, we should be really happy that the same fate did not find her too, and that she managed to escape with only a minor injury. She is being tended to and I sincerely hope that her recovery will be swift so I could present her to all in the palace sooner rather than later. Lastly, for the time being I wish not to speak any further concerning the matter since I have heard enough of your arrant nonsense."  
_  
Thranduil urged his elk forward while lord Finnelon's lips twitched. He stood there shocked not believing what he just heard. He thought that the king would gladly join their debate but he was so wrong and he felt disgraced. Other two elf-lords emphasized with him and gave encouraging looks. The rest of the time was spent in an uneasy silence, here and there broken by the hum of the elf-lords. Thranduil wanted to be in the palace doing whatever it was to be done, but above all else he wanted a glass of good wine. Things those elves said were intolerable yet his reply was even more surprising, but what else was there to say? As he was thinking about it more and more he began to realize that he was in deep shit, truly deep shit. Like when you accidentally walk over a shit and then you see that half of your shoe is shitty but that is not even close to how our Thranduil managed to fuck it up. It was as if he jumped into raw sewage up till his throat, luckily he was smart enough not to dive head first into it. Nevertheless, the problem was there and he must fix this double-edged sword. Elf-lords will be off his back thinking that Aegeria is a notable guest on the other hand, he must make up a backside story about her (which will be almost hard as acquiring a PhD degree), then talk Legolas and Tauriel into it and pray to Eru it would all work out. Just great, since when he became so stupid to mar his daily life? 

* * *

Back in the healing room Aegeria was eating her dinner while Aethriel was telling her about the king's whereabouts and their further plans of gaining the permission for the library.

" _So tomorrow morning I am going over to the king, I will say that you feel bored and wish to read a book to pass the time. What kind of books do you like?"_  
 _"I don't know... Do you have a collection of elvish legends or poetry written in the common tongue?"  
_  
 _"Truthfully I really have no idea and it even does not matter since we do not need that sort of books that is just in case if the king asks what you prefer. Our main goal is to find something which will explain your appearance and possibly enlighten us about your ancestors."  
_  
" _Sure, it is sad that I have never actually talked about it with my parents. Aethriel is there any chance that you could borrow 2 books?"_ Aegeria asked looking with her puppy eyes at her.

 _"I cannot promise anything but I will ask. What would you like me to bring you?  
_  
" _If you find a collection of elvish poetry it would be great, and my second choice would be something satirical in case you do not find any poetry."  
_  
" _Alright, then we have a deal, I will bring you breakfast tomorrow before I visit the king and return to you as soon as I find right books. I have a good feeling about it but I won't bother you anymore. Have a good night!"  
_  
 _"Ok, see you in the morning then. Sweet dreams!"_  
Aethriel left to her bed chamber and Aegeria watched the dim lights and their shadows playing upon walls and other surfaces of her room until she fell in a deep slumber.

* * *

So here is the new chapter, hopefully you'll like it, apologies for the delay I've been busy last weeks but now I'll have more time for writing this story. =D


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